Death's Daughter
by SP Hazelcat
Summary: "Who is Ava?". An unknown girl appears before the straw hats, with flowing dark hair and almond shaped eyes. But who is she, and why does Robin feel she has seen her somewhere before?
1. Chapter 1

1. Delirium

"Robin, are you alright?" Chopper asked, his large eyes filled with concern and dirt from the ferocious battle covering his face.

"I'm fine," she commented through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her arm. "Just a scratch."

A few days later….

The body was sprawled out on the kitchen floor, face as pale as a sheet and eyes open, unseeing. His blonde hair flopped over his face, as usual, concealing his left eye and blood was running from his chest where the knife was embedded, the redness of it blossoming like some terrible flower. Sanji was undoubtedly and inescapably dead.

Robin stumbled back against the hard, solid, wooden door, horror and near screams rising in her throat. She fumbled with the handle and ran out onto the deck. There was no-one in sight.

"Someone, help! Please, anyone?!" She yelled, her heart pounding in her mouth.

"Robin?"

"Miss Navigator?" Robin ran towards Nami's voice, her dark hair blown back by the ocean wind.

She burst into Nami's room, and staggered back in horror. Nami lay; face down on the rug, her short orange hair obscuring her face, a pool of ruby liquid surrounding her and, beside her head, her disconnected heart, as smooth as silk, slicked with blood.

Robin choked and fell back through the open door onto something hard and bumpy.

A pile of bones.

A skeleton.

Brook.

Robin screamed, long and loud, her unwavering composure shattered, anguish and terror making it almost palpable.

All around her she heard the sounds of people falling to the ground. Then she saw them, her friends, strewn across the deck. She took in the sight and it burned itself into the back of her eyes, so no matter how many times she closed them her friends lay there in the darkness. Disbelief embedded itself in her mind. They couldn't be dead, they would have beaten any enemy they came across. It was absolutely impossible. It couldn't, can't, wouldn't have happened. And yet they lay there, colder than ice.

"Sanji, Zoro, Nami, Chopper, Franky, Brook, Usopp. Everyone." She fell to her knees and sobbed as if her heart would break, her pain mingling with her tears.

"Robin?"

She gasped and looked up. A figure stood above her.

"Luffy? You're alive?"

Luffy ignored her question. Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her to her feet and pulled her forwards to the side of the ship. There, hovering above the surface of the glass-like water, was a small rowboat. Pushing her into it he lowered it into the water, his arms stretching with the use of his rubber power, before jumping down himself, the boat rocking wildly as he did so.

"Go, hurry!" At that command the boat sped away from the huge ship, just as a tendril of darkness pulled the Thousand Sunny into the murky depths. The grassy deck was flooded, and finally the cheerful, sunflower-like, lion figurehead was consumed by the ravenous ocean. .

There were huge ripples and then silence. The ship to sail a thousand seas, the straw hat crew's closest friend, their home, was gone, and so were they.

Sobs racked Robin's body as she tried to shut out the image that had burned itself before her.

Luffy said nothing, but the tears streaming down his childlike face, out of the cover of shadows that his hat cast, were evidence enough of his pain.

Suddenly a black tentacle shot up, grabbing at her. Luffy cried out and pushed her back before his wrist was grabbed. He thrashed in the grip for mere seconds before he was pulled underwater. He didn't resurface, only bubbles appeared.

"Luffy." In the heat of the moment, Robin barely had time to register what was happening, and once it had happened her mind wished it had not caught up. She was alone on the wide, unpredictable sea.

Her friends were gone, the closest thing to family she had, so was the Sunny, her home.

And without them she was a spider in a hurricane.

And there was no way out.

"I can hear them, you know." said a quiet voice next to her.

"What?" Robin raised her head. A young woman, about Nami's age, sat beside her in the boat. She had long, wavy, brown hair and brown-green eyes with her denim jacket open onto a t-shirt and legs crossed. A million questions bubbled up in Robin's mind.

"Your friends, your nakama. I can hear their voices inside my head, like they're whispering to me. They need you and I know you need them, so look for them. In every situation there is always a way out."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Ava."

"Where are my nakama?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying."

"Yes."

"How do I find them?" The girl began to disappear.

"Wait! Please tell me how!" Ava smiled, becoming more transparent by the second.

"Why, it's easy, Nico Robin. Wake up."

"Please, Robin, wake up." said Luffy, quietly.

"What's wrong with her?" Nami demanded of Chopper.

"She was poisoned." He replied gravely.

"POISONED?" exclaimed all those present, unanimously, in disbelief.

"Who would poison Robin-san?" asked Brook.

"Whoever they are, I'll shred them limb from limb" growled Zoro, His hand on his kitanas.

"No need." replied Chopper. "It was that swordsman we killed a few days ago. He must have dipped his swords in poison."

He indicated the cut on Robin's left, upper arm. Sure enough, black veins were spreading out from the wound like a spider's web.

"If she had left it any longer she definitely would have died. As it is, it's up to her willpower now." Tears emerged in Chopper's eyes as he exited the room.

"And I'm not crying you bastards!"

Franky entered the room just as Chopper left.

"What'd the doc say?" asked Franky, his usual zeal gone.

"She might not make it" said Nami, tearing up.

"Poor Robin-san" murmured Brook. "My heart aches, although I'm dead, so I haven't got one." He gave a half hearted laugh and then fell silent.

"Where's the curly idiot?" asked Zoro.

"In the kitchen, crying his eyes out, last I saw" answered Franky.

"Stupid bitch, why'd she have to go and get herself stabbed" muttered Zoro, angrily. There was a long pause.

"Robin, why are you doing this?" murmured Luffy.

"She's mortally ill, she can't answer you." Nami said softly.

"She said she wanted to live, she promised she would…." He trailed off. "I won't let her die!"

"You don't have a fucking choice in the matter." Zoro reminded him.

"He's right, Luffy, we can't help her any more. It's like Chopper said, it's down to Robin now." Nami gently said.

"Please, Robin, come back." whispered Luffy.

Chopper sat in the infirmary, next to Robin's motionless figure. He had had to practically force the others out. Robin was as pale as snow, with a burning fever. Her breathing was soft, her chest barely moving as she inhaled.

Chopper began to make Rumble Balls. There was nothing more to do.

"Chopper-kun?" said a weak voice. Robin's eyes fluttered open.

"Robin!" Chopper ran over. "You're awake."

"Was I away long?" she whispered.

"You were unconscious for three days." Robin acknowledged the fact with a nod.

"Can you get thee others, please?"

"In your condition, visitors aren't a good idea…"

"Please." The desperation in her voice forced Chopper to relent.

"Alright, but one at a time."

Nami came first. She cried out in relief when she saw Robin was alright. Then Sanji, practically fainting from happiness when he saw her awake. Usopp, who had been trying to distract himself from her dire predicament, came out of the corner he had been hiding in and almost danced for joy. Franky posed a lot and Brook happily started playing 'Bink's Sake'

Zoro appeared. His words when he saw her alive were: "you stupid bitch, don't you ever do something like that again."

Then Luffy came in.

"You promised not to die."

"I know. I'll try not to"

He grinned.

Everyone was finally kicked out to let Robin rest, but only after Luffy ordered a feast for when she had fully recovered. As Chopper finally closed the door, Robin lay back against the pillow, her raven hair framing her pale face. She frowned as a thought came to her.

That girl. Who is she? wondered Robin as she succumbed to sleep.

Why is she so familiar?


	2. Chapter 2

2. First Encounters

The music was coming from the kitchen, soaring across the violin strings as Brook's skeletal hand danced across the fiddle, making it sing. The laughter from the dining hall was celebratory and the word 'KANPAI' floated in abundance out of the door and into the night.

"Sanji, food!" Luffy yelled.

"Shut up, bastard! I'm cooking as fast as I can!" was Sanji's irritable reply as his hands flew over the stove, stirring and chopping faster the eye could see.

"Sanji-kun, can I have another drink?" asked the orange haired woman sitting on the far side of the table.

"Yes, Nami-san." He twirled over, his eyes changing into little hearts which greatly amused the others, and carefully passed her one, before noodling over to the raven-haired lady sitting in the corner, reading.

"Robin-chwan?" She looked up from her book, and smiled at him.

"Yes, cook-san?"

"Would you like a drink?" she shook her head slightly.

"Hey, Robin, come and have a drink with us, you've just been reading the whole time." pouted Luffy.

Robin shook her head slightly. Luffy tried to argue but just then Usopp started to choke on his food, so the conversation drew to a close.

Later that night…

"Look, for the last time, idiot, we can't have another feast tomorrow!" yelled Sanji.

"Why not?" whined Luffy.

"We've been having feasts all week! We have to stop at the next island for food as it is, and we don't want our food supply to run out on the way, not with the amount you eat."

"He's right, Luffy-san. We'll waste away if we eat all the food now, 'till we're just bones….ah, but I'm a skeleton so..."

"You're just bones, already?" Chopper interrupted Brook helpfully. Brook knelt on the deck, depressed.

"Chopper-san, you promised not to do that again." Chopper slammed his hooves over his mouth, as if to try to cram the words back in.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

Just then a scream pierced the night air, high pitched and terrified. It was a woman's scream. Robin looked towards the sound.

"Miss Navigator." she stood up and ran towards the room it had come from, Nami's. The crew thundered up the stairs to the door. Sanji, the first to arrive, pounded on it with his fist.

"Nami-san? Are you alright?" Nami opened the door, white faced and trembling.

"What happened?"demanded Zoro.

"There was someone here." she whispered.

"Where?" asked Franky, readying his gun.

"Gone." said Nami, regaining her composure."Out the window."

"What did they look like, Nami-san?"asked Brook seriously.

"I don't know, they were wearing a black cloak, so I couldn't see their face." Behind Usopp, Robin stiffened.

"Was it a monster?" asked Luffy eagerly, his eyes going starry in excitement.

"Don't think so."

"Well let's find it and capture it, whatever it is!"

The unexpected waves crashed over the side of the Sunny, drenching the frantic figures rushing hither and thither, with ropes and suchlike, much resembling frightened ants. The wind howled and the rain was dropping like bullets.

"Zoro, Sanji-kun, take in the sails, quick" ordered Nami. Suddenly a huge surge crashed over the railings. There was a scream and suddenly, as quickly as it had started, the wind died and the storm clouds disappeared.

"What the hell is wrong with this weather?!" exclaimed the bedraggled Usopp.

"Two weather systems colliding often causes storms like that on the Grand Line." replied Nami, wringing out her sopping wet coat.

"What are those bubbles wondered Luffy aloud.

"Shit, someone fell in" exclaimed Sanji, removing his jacket and, before anyone could stop him, he dived in.

"What if a storm starts again?" worried Chopper and Usopp. The whole crew waited tensely for Sanji to reappear.

"Maybe I should help Sanji-san." said Brook.

"Don't you dare, moron? You're a devil fruit user too, remember? When you start drowning I'm not jumping in to save you." snapped Nami.

Finally, after a few tense seconds, Sanji's head broke surface, gasping and coughing.

"Someone throw down a rope or something." exclaimed Franky. Robin crossed her arms and pulled Sanji back onto the ship. He knelt there, coughing and spluttering for a minute before standing up.

"Hey, swirly eyebrow, whose that?" asked Zoro, indicating the person lying next to him.

"I'm not sure." He responded, confused. "I thought it was one of us."

Usopp shook his head

"We're all here"

"Well who the hell is this then?" demanded Sanji.

Nami gently turned the unconscious figure over.

"Wow."

"Ok."

"Wasn't expecting that."

Lying on the deck, eyes closed, was a young woman. She was about nineteen, with long dark hair, soaking wet from the icy sea. She moved slightly and there was a clink. On her right wrist there was a metal shackle.

"Who is she?" asked Chopper nervously, his voice quickly drowned out by a cry of "mellorine!" and the sound a punch landing on Sanji's head.

"Whoever she is, we should probably get her inside" muttered Nami."She can sleep in the infirmary, there's a bed in there. We can find out who she is when she wakes up. Until then we keep the door locked, alright?"

The pale girl in the bed stirred. Her eyelids fluttered open and she took in her surroundings. There was whiteness all around her as her eyes began to focus. She felt something moving on her injured arm. A reindeer stood by her bed, Chopper, she seemed to remember his name was. She turned her head a fraction more and saw him just finishing bandaging up the wound. He suddenly looked up, shrieked, and ran out of the door. Interesting. She sat up and lifted her arm. The heavy cuff clinked, but at least her arm was recovering. All she needed to do was to get this confounded shackle off and then she could escape. She knew that she couldn't fight this crew, whoever they were, but she get away easily.

She stood up and walked to the door. Locked. The windows were too, probably.

"Damn." She cursed under her breath. Nothing more to be done, she headed back to the bed and waited.

About half an hour later, the door opened and a couple of people walked in. It was The orange haired girl and the guy in the straw hat.

"Hi." He grinned. Okay. She inclined her head in greeting.

"Hello", said the woman, Nami, that was her. "What's your name?"

"Your name is Nami."

"Yes, can you tell us yours?"

"I can." Nami rolled her eyes.

"Will you tell us your name?"

"My name is Ava."

"Where are you going, Ava?"

"Nowhere." Nami frowned.

"Surely you must be going somewhere?"

"Well, if I were going somewhere I wouldn't be in here talking to you, would I?" The straw hat kid burst out laughing.

"I like her, she's funny!" he managed to get out. Ava stared at him.

"Is he mentally unstable?" she asked, confused. Nami clapped a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"No, just hyper apparently. Honestly, I would have rather questioned you by myself, but he's the captain."

"Wait, that guy is your captain?"

"Yeah"

"Ok, well, in answer to your question I'm going as far away from that last marine island as possible."

"How did you get on this ship?"

"I snuck on whilst you were all out, just before you set off."

"Why this ship?"

"Nearest one to me."

"Final question."

"Yes?"

"Why are you telling me the truth?" Ava smiled slightly.

"Well, I figured, what's the point of lying?"

Back outside of the room, having dragged the now asleep Luffy from it and locked the door, Nami walked back to the others waiting in the dining room.

"Well?" asked Zoro impatiently.

"Her name is Ava, she's a wanted criminal, been hiding on the ship for the last few days since Akro Sanwai, most likely done this kind of thing before and she's also probably a devil fruit user."

"She told you all that?"

"No."

"Then how did you know?"

"Instinct."


	3. Chapter 3

3. The power of the Shade Fruit

Back outside of the room, having dragged the now asleep Luffy from it and locked the door, Nami walked back to the others waiting in the dining room.

"Well?" asked Zoro impatiently.

"Her name is Ava, she's a wanted criminal, been hiding on the ship for the last few days since Akro Sanwai at least, most likely done this kind of thing before and she's also probably a devil fruit user."

"She told you all that?"

"Nope."

"Then how did you know?"

"Instinct."

"What do you think we should do now, Nami-san?" asked Brook.

"I don't know," admitted Nami, "Drop her off at the next island, I suppose. Nothing else to do.

"We could just dump her off the ship now." interjected Zoro.

"I shan't let anyone touch, Ava-chan." Growled Sanji.

"I agree, throwing her off would be just as bad as killing her, the water is freezing and if she's a devil fruit user she'll drown."

"Why do you think she's a devil fruit user, Nami." Wondered Luffy.

"The cuff. It's made of sea stone. Chopper told me so." Chopper nodded. "The marines only use sea stone on devil fruit users, it's really expensive."

"I wonder what type she is, probably a SUPER cool one." put in Franky.

"Please, Nami, can we take the thing off." Begged Luffy, so excited at the possibility of seeing a cool devil fruit power that he forgot some vocabulary and started to jump up and down, like a toddler.

"I don't think we should, she might get aggressive."

"It'll be fine, I, the great Captain Usopp, can easily overpower her."

"Yes, Nami, we can leave it to Usopp to deal with her if she acts up." laughed Robin.

"I didn't mean…" mumbled Usopp, realising what he had implied.

"Alright." Consented Nami with a sigh, "but if something goes wrong, you guys will have to sort it out."

"So what kind of power can you use?" grinned Luffy, eagerly. Ava looked up in surprise.

"How did you know I'm a devil fruit user?" she asked, then decided that Luffy was not one who would be able to come up with an intelligible answer.

"I ate the shade shade fruit."

"So you stop people getting sunburn?" asked Luffy, easily confused.

"No, you idiot. Shade as in spirit, like a ghost. As soon as this guy gets this thing off I'll show you." Just then there was a clink as the cuff sprang open and a sigh of relief from Franky.

"Ok, it's open." At that moment Chopper appeared in the doorway.

"You guys should come onto the deck. Nami says she wants to see what Ava can do too and so does everyone else."

"Ok." said Luffy.

Once they were on the lawn, the cuff was properly removed.

"Which fruit did you eat?" asked Robin curiously.

"The Shade fruit." Replied Ava quietly. "I can show you if you like." The answer was a unanimous yes. Ava smiled.

"Shade shade ghost." She murmured .Abruptly she ran towards Zoro. In alarm, expecting an attack, he drew his sword and slashed at her, but she held her course….and ran straight through him. She turned around on the other side and stopped, smiling at them.

"No one can touch me whilst I am in this form. I can't be cut, hit, kicked or restrained."

"Wait a minute." Stammered Usopp, his eyes widening. "Your feet…they're not touching the floor! You're floating!" Ava laughed and shot up into the sky. She flew around the mast and sails like a bird, before hovering over the astonished crew.

"And, yes, I can do that too." She said, landing gracefully.

"That is so COOL!" exclaimed Luffy, as his and eyes sparkled.

"Would you like some more soup, Ava-chan?" asked Sanji, noodling over to her for the fourth time in a row, his eyes becoming tiny love hearts in his typical and ludicrous way.

"No thank you" said Ava, laughing at his ridiculous behaviour.

"So, Ava-san, how did you come by the Devil Fruit?" asked Chopper, shyly, curious enough about the stranger to peek out from behind the bowl he was rather unsuccessfully hiding behind.

"I don't remember." This caused everyone's attention to turn to her.

"You don't?" asked Zoro disbelievingly, putting down the wardrobe sized tankard he was drinking from.

"No." replied Ava calmly.

"What not at all?" Nami's interest was piqued. Ava set down her spoon and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"In truth, I don't know where I come from, who my parents are or were, how I got my ability or fully what its potential is, or who I am. I only know my name because it was engraved on this locket and even that might belong to someone else." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry that I snuck onto your ship uninvited, but I have to sail as far away from the navy as possible. I'll get off on the next island if you want." At this there was a loud cry of protest from both Luffy and Sanji. Nami ignored them.

"What's your bounty?"

"70,000,000 Beri."

"70,000,000?!" cried the crew in surprise.

"Yes"

"Wow! That's so much."

"What do they call you on the poster?"

"Wanted, dead or alive, Death's Daughter: Ava, bounty 70,000,000 beri, and then a load of random gibberish about who to call if I'm caught or killed." Luffy laughed. When he stopped he stared her in the eye, deadly serious.

"What's he doing?" asked Usopp, fearfully. Suddenly Luffy grinned.

"Do you want to join my crew?" Nami and Usopp collapsed to their knees.

"Why does he always do this without consulting us, why?" Nami moaned. Usopp couldn't speak; such was his despair at Luffy's blunt, childish, carefree nature.

"I think you might need to consult your crew before asking me?" she replied quietly, sensing their mood. Before Luffy could respond, Zoro, Franky and Brook grabbed him and carried him out to the deck. The others followed after, Nami gratefully mouthing "Thank you", before closing the door.

"Don't you want to discuss this with them too?" asked Ava, turning to the figure standing in the shadows, unnoticed by the others. Robin smiled and stepped into the light.

"Actually I wanted to ask you a couple of questions myself." Ava sat down and waited for her to continue.

"When did you get on this ship?"

"About a month ago." Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Where have you been hiding?"

"I will show you later. Let's just say that there are mouse holes even Franky doesn't know about, yet."

"Why this ship?"

"It's fast, sturdy, you people know how to run it right and it's headed to the end of the Grand Line. It's a dream ship, the best I could have hoped to stow away on. "

Suddenly Robin gasped, a thought occurring to her.

"Ava?"

"Yes?"

"Can you hear voices inside your head?" Ava looked stunned for a second.

"Yes, but I'm not crazy." She said, vehemently.

"I believe you."

"How did you know?" asked Ava quietly.

"Never mind." Said Robin as she walked out.

"Ah, Robin-san's here." Noticed Brook.

"Good." said Luffy cheerfully. "I want Ava to stay on the ship."

"We can't, Luffy." sighed Nami.

"Why not?" whined Luffy.

"There are several problems."

"Like what?" he whined.

"Lodging."

"There are no problems when it comes to lodging." said Franky stubbornly.

"It is true, Miss Navigator, there is plenty of space in our room and Franky can easily make another bed."

"Food."

"I can make food for her, Nami-swan." Sanji interjected.

"How would she help us? We can't just take in every random person who can do cool stuff?"

"She hid from us for a month if what Robin just said to me was true, and she survived long enough to make it this far on her own, she must be strong." Said Zoro, in a tired voice.

"How did she, with such a huge bounty, and no friends to help?" Wondered Chopper aloud.

"It might have something to do with the fact that I can do this." Said Ava's voice behind him. He screamed and clutched at Usopp's arm. Everyone looked around wildly. Ava laughed as she materialised next to Chopper and Nami. Luffy's eyes went sparkly and finally Nami gave in.

"Ok." She laughed, "You can stay."

Ava grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

The Masked ball

"But it looks really fun. There's a feast!"

"Is that all you ever think about? For the last time, you idiot, we'll all get noticed. There's a bounty on all of our heads. Besides, I can cook for you here." Sanji tried to reason with a fixated Luffy, his hands flying over the stove as he whisked up the hot chocolate he was making, barely looking as his fingers expertly stirred and mixed it.

"What's this all about?" asked Nami, her hair wrapped in a towel from the shower she had just come out of."

"Mystery Ball, mystery ball." Chanted Luffy, excitedly.

"There is a masked ball going on tonight." Explained Robin, barely looking up from her book.

"We can't go." Nami decided.

"Why?" whined Luffy, like a three year old, denied a new toy.

"Marines." Said Zoro, opening one eye from where he had been sleeping in the corner. Luffy pouted.

"Apparently the marines around here are SUPER vicious. They'll rip you limb from limb." Put in Franky, tinkering with something small and metallic. Chopper, Usopp and Brook cried out in fear.

"Alas, my great i-can't-go-near-any-scary-marines disease has returned." Lied Usopp, falling to the ground in a fit of counterfeit coughs.

"I think I've got it too." Whimpered Chopper, mimicking him beautifully.

"My heart has stopped, although I'm a skeleton so I have no heart…SK…" began Brook.

"Skull joke, we know" interrupted the others.

"Ava, come on, back me up." Begged Luffy.

"I agree with Luffy." Said the girl quietly. "It'll be a couple of days before the Log Pose sets; we'll have nothing to do otherwise. We'll be in masks, so no-one will know it's us. There's free food and sake, music and the place will be filled with nobles and high class individuals. In fact there is very little reason not to go." Ava blushed at all the attention on her.

"Food?"

"Sake?

"Money?"

"We're in!" cried Nami, Luffy, Zoro and unanimously.

There was no point in saying any more.

"Where did you get these dresses? They're absolutely gorgeous!" asked Nami, admiring herself in the ornate full-length mirror. The long, sleeveless, white silk dress tumbled to the floor like a waterfall and almost covered the satin pumps that she wore on her feet. Her silver necklace and bracelet caught the light and held it, looking as though they shone from within.

Robin sat on the bed, her own midnight blue silk rustling as she moved, jingling the sapphire necklace at her throat. Ava smiled. No matter how hard it had been to get them, Nami was right, she conceded, glimpsing her own reflection in the looking glass. Her black dress shimmered and the onyx and tourmaline jewellery she wore shone prettily. The dresses were beautiful.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Are you ready?" called Luffy excitedly through the locked door.

"Almost, captain-san." replied Robin, as the three slipped on the detailed masks.

Ava opened the door. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Brook all sat on the deck, in full face masks. As soon as he caught sight of them Sanji noodled something about the fact that they looked like goddesses and should dress like this all the time, then his words became unintelligible.

"Are the others coming?" inquired Robin.

"No, they decided to stay here, Robin-san." Answered Brook formally.

"You." Nami said, noticing him, "if you ask ANYONE at this place to show you their pants, you will regret it." She threatened.

Brook nodded behind his mask and promised to behave.

"Yosh, lets go!" cheered Luffy.

The faint music became louder as the Straw Hats entered the hall, completely unrecognisable behind the delicate masks that shielded their identities. Luffy had complained for ages after Usopp insisted that he leave the trademark, beloved straw hat behind, but Robin had assured him that it was for the best. They could be recognised or, worse still, in Luffy's opinion, the hat could have been "hurt" as he put it.

As they entered the room they were almost blinded by the number of whirling, multicoloured dresses in the room. Ava had a sudden vision of a swarm of butterflies and laughed aloud. They descended to the dance floor and immediately partnered up. Luffy wandered off to the buffet stand, enticed by the scent of the large quantities of meat. Nami had warned, begged and threatened him not to overeat or reveal his powers or identity, and, to his credit, he only loaded his plate with half a roasted pig.

Ava rolled her eyes at his back. Nami paired up with Sanji, to his great elation. Robin and Brook danced so fluidly that they could have been made of water and that left Ava with a reluctant Zoro, who insisted that he would kill his captain at some point for talking him into this. His swords were hidden under his long coat; however, they barely made a sound. He danced well although the look of focus she saw in his eyes was almost comical. She a small laugh escaped her.

"What's so funny?"

"Your face. You look positively red with concentration." He glared at her. She smiled.

"Anyway, how come you know how to dance?" she questioned. He frowned.

"I don't."

"Then what on earth are you doing?"

"Copying whatever the hell you're doing."

"Well, for someone who doesn't dance you do it surprisingly well."

"If you tell anyone, I swear I'll kill you."

"Isn't that nice." She said, unconcerned. It's quite hard to kill someone you can't touch. The next few minutes passed in silence. The song changed. Ava caught sight of Nami and Sanji dancing with extreme dexterity and Robin gracefully turning with Brook having the time of his undeath; it was fun just to watch her new friends enjoying themselves. Her gaze wandered to the other dancers and spectators.

"I wonder why some people have such strange hair colours." Ava mused.

"What?"

"Well, bright pink isn't really a normal hair colour, is it? And yet that girl over there has it. And that boy over there, I'm pretty sure sparkling red hair isn't commonplace…"

"Hang on, that girl?" Zoro interrupted, following Ava's line of sight. "I know her from somewhere…." He stared at the girl with bubblegum pink hair and black and white dress. There was something familiar about her red umbrella. Suddenly it hit him.

"Shit. What the fuck's she doing here?"

"Who?" asked Ava, confused. Zoro grabbed her arm and stormed towards the pink haired girl, who was sitting, cross legged in a comfortable chair, drinking cocoa. Zoro strode towards her until he stood, towering over her. Surprised at the intrusion she looked up.

"Oh, crap." She gasped as she saw him glaring down at her. He grabbed her arm and dragged her behind a curtain with Ava following bemused in their wake. When Zoro had closed the curtains to the secluded booth he rounded on the girl, whose eyes showed terror and confusion.

"Why the hell are you here?" he growled at her. Her mask removed, she tried to be defiant as her bottom lip trembled.

"I'm allowed to go to parties." She said, regaining a little self confidence.

"No, I mean why are you on this island?" he said angrily.

"I happened to be passing through. Why are YOU here?!"

"Same reason."

"Excuse me? I hate to break in but who is she?" asked Ava politely.

"Perona." Said Zoro, calming down a little.

"I can answer for myself." Said Perona crossly.

"Sorry, but WHO?"

"Acquaintance." Replied Zoro. Perona glowered.

"I patched this idiot up a couple of times and dropped him back at Sabaody. Stupid fool had to get landed with me; I mean he's not even cute." She muttered the last sentence before falling silent.

"Anyway, what's the big deal?" asked Ava.

"Stay out of it, Ghost-girl." He snapped at her.

"I didn't say anything." Protested Perona.

"Not you." He snapped. There was a pause and then Perona caught on and looked quizzically at Ava, who blushed and then disappeared in way of explanation. Perona gawped. Ava reappeared behind Zoro and walked through him before solidifying. He shuddered at the unnerving quality of her power. Perona grinned, understanding. Her turn now. She summoned the hollow ghosts, who stuck out their tongues at nobody in particular, and fired them at Zoro who fell to his knees in a sudden depression.

"If I an reborn, I want to be a water flea." He came back to his senses after a second.

"What the hell was that for, you freaky bitch?!" Perona stuck out her tongue.

"Easier than explaining." She and Ava said. Their powers intrigued one another and they stared until Perona piped up in her child-like voice.

"I can also basically do what you did, but I have to leave my body somewhere." Zoro abruptly grabbed Ava's wrist, making her jump, and looked around.

"What now?" she sighed.

"Shhh." There was a pause, then "turn ghost now." He said a level of urgency in his usually bored sounding voice. Confused, she obeyed. Suddenly he lunged at Perona, tackling her to the ground….just as a bullet whizzed past their heads.


End file.
